


thinkin' 'bout forever

by stormss



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28776294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormss/pseuds/stormss
Summary: He's always been a mama's boy and so, naturally, she's the first person he goes to when he realizes he wants to marry TK.*Carlos Reyes Week, Day 4:Future + "You've come so far."
Relationships: Carlos Reyes & Carlos Reyes' Mother (9-1-1 Lone Star), Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 33
Kudos: 237
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand, Carlos Reyes Week 2021





	thinkin' 'bout forever

**Author's Note:**

> this was one i just kind of...sat down and wrote? with no plan? so idk how to feel about it? but here we are! 
> 
> the title comes from _thinkin bout you_ by frank ocean. my [tumblr!](https://reyesstrand.tumblr.com/)

Carlos realizes that he wants to spend forever with TK on a seemingly normal afternoon. 

It starts, like usual, when he gets home from a shift that felt never-ending. He knows that his tread is a little heavier than usual, exhaustion seeping through every inch of his body, as he drops his keys in the little ceramic bowl by the door and drags a hand through his hair, freeing his curls. He deposits his work belt in the closet, stowing away his gun in the safe, shrugging off his damp uniform windbreaker. That'd been the other thing—all night, it rained and rained and _rained,_ the downpour only seeming to grow heavier whenever Carlos and his partner had to be outside. But, he's home now. He's in _their_ home, ever since TK moved in almost four months ago now, and that's what he focuses on as he moves deeper into the condo. 

The yawn that he'd been in the process of letting out is abruptly cut off, though, when he hears his boyfriend clearing his throat. He finally looks around and spots TK, who's wearing nothing but a pair of sweats that sit low on his hips, leaning against the doorway as he towels off his hair. 

Carlos opens his mouth and snaps it shut just as quickly. TK just smirks. 

"You're a menace, you know that?" Carlos asks, stepping forward without hesitation. TK throws the towel somewhere Carlos doesn't care to look, too focused now on backing TK up so that he's flat against the wall. His boyfriend tilts his chin up, already grinning. 

"You love it," TK quips, his left hand already curling around the back of Carlos' neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Carlos' hands roam until they settle on TK's trim waist, moving so close that there's not a molecule of space between them; TK, restless as ever, starts yanking at his shirt until it's off, left on the floor for the Carlos of tomorrow to deal with, pushing against him so he'll start walking: backwards, toward their bedroom, the door already open.

They fall together easily, as natural as breathing at this point, and as amazing as that first time so long ago. 

Carlos falls asleep with TK half covering his body, finding comfort in the constant contact, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's damp hair before they're both out like lights. 

And when he wakes up, it's to sunlight streaming in through the open curtains. Carlos drops his hand to the other side of the mattress and frowns at it's empty coolness. Mere seconds later, though, he hears clanging and muttered swears coming from the kitchen, and he rolls his eyes and gets to his feet. He pulls on joggers and strolls out of the bedroom, stretching his arms overhead as he follows the noise of his boyfriend attempting to make breakfast. 

TK is a flurry of movement in the kitchen, chopping fruit and bringing his thumb to his mouth to gather some of the juice before he frantically jumps toward the stove, fiddling with the dials to get the heat he desires. He's actually pretty decent with breakfast, surprising Carlos on more than one occasion now with pancake platters and perfectly cooked eggs brought to him in bed. When it comes to anything else, Carlos gently guides his boyfriend away from the kitchen, pressing placating kisses to his face until he's a safe distance away from attempting dinner. 

"Need any help?" Carlos asks, mainly just for his presence to be known so TK doesn't cut his finger off, or anything. 

TK smiles around the strawberry between his teeth. He swallows, and flips the pancake in the pan, before leaning against the counter with his arms crossed loosely over his chest. "I mean, I haven't gotten a good-morning kiss yet, so maybe you could—" 

Carlos has crossed the room and is pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's smiling mouth before he can even finish the sentence. TK huffs a little laugh and kisses back enthusiastically, hands flying up to frame Carlos' face. 

"Hmm, love you," TK murmurs, mostly in a happy sigh against his lips. 

Carlos brushes their noses together, lightly pinching TK's hip. "I love you too, but your pancakes are burning." 

"Shit!" TK quickly pulls away from Carlos' embrace, somehow managing to save the breakfast before it's too late. He laughs and once the pan's removed from the heat, he wraps himself around TK's back, pressing a kiss to the faded scar on his shoulder, to his nape. 

They end up eating at the kitchen island, mostly off each other's plates. The news plays at a low volume on the TV in the next room over, and though TK has to go in soon for a shift, the early afternoon stretches around them at a syrupy-slow speed. They talk about nothing in particular—TK's mom coming into town again and the dinner they'll invite his parents over for, the planned cookout at Grace and Judd's over the weekend, finding a time to invite Paul out dancing again—and Carlos finds himself lost in the way TK moves his hands so animatedly as he talks and the conscious way he sits close enough that their arms brush whenever they move. 

And though the thoughts have been there for some time now, there's something about this afternoon breakfast that makes Carlos feel so goddamn enamoured by his boyfriend. His heart skips a little when TK looks at him, pure adoration and fondness like liquid gold in his eyes, and he realizes that he can't ever imagine wanting to experience a life without this man right here at his side. His mouth goes a little dry, and he thinks, _oh._

This is what he's wanted forever. This is what he _wants,_ forever. 

"I should probably go get ready," TK says, kissing him and tasting of sugar and coffee. He looks unchanged, but Carlos feels like—like the earth has shifted under his feet. He just smiles and dazedly squeezes TK's hand once more before he makes way toward the bathroom, leaving Carlos with his sudden thoughts of dropping to one knee. 

It'd be so _easy,_ too. He and TK have discussed their future, and it's always featured the two of them, as a unit. After such an uncertain beginning, they've been on the same page for so long now that Carlos feels he could read TK better than anyone else on the planet. 

But he knows who to turn to, as his mind starts whirring with all the possibilities. 

* * *

"I have to admit, mijo, I wasn't expecting to see you until your sister's birthday next month." 

His mother's his closest confidant—sometimes even more so than TK. It's a mama's boy thing, he figures. He smiles and hugs her the moment she opens the door for him, drying her hands on a dish towel. 

"I wanted to come see you, that's all," Carlos replies, following his mom deeper into the house. She pours them both some sweet tea, gesturing for him to sit at his usual seat at the dining table. 

"Well, tell me about work," Penelope Reyes is always one to get right to the point, and she cocks a brow at him. 

Carlos does, the words spilling out automatically upon his mother's request. She nods along and shakes her head at his most outlandish stories, resting her chin in her hand. When he trails off after mentioning a call that both he and the 126 had responded to, she gives him a knowing look. 

Topping up both their glasses, she asks: "And how is that boy of yours?" 

He know's he's the picture of nervous-energy, right now, especially the moment she mentions TK. His mom had loved his boyfriend within the first five minutes of meeting him at the farmer's market, and TK was always quick to join her and his sisters on the loving teasing at Carlos' expense. 

"Carlos?" 

"Sorry, mami," he shakes his head to bring himself back in the moment, but he meets her eyes. He catches the exact moment that her expression changes—from momentary worry, eyebrows drawn together and mouth turned downwards, to the soft look she gives him now. 

She reaches across the table and squeezes his hands. "I know you, baby. Something's up." 

"I—" Carlos pauses, biting on the inside of his cheek. He thinks of TK's face this morning, the way he looked at him with nothing but love in his gaze. "I love him so much." 

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Penelope swipes her thumb over his knuckles, and he lets out a shaky breath. He didn't expect to feel so overwhelmed, but he figures that's just what his love for TK does to him. "I know he loves you too." 

"He does," Carlos confirms, feeling momentarily weird about it before shrugging it off. It's his mom—he's allowed to boast a little that his boyfriend tells him multiple times a day how he's feeling. "And I—I think I want to take the next step." 

It takes her a moment, but a small smile spreads over her face when she puts it together. 

"Oh, mijo. I'm so happy for you," she says, gripping his hands a little tighter. When he doesn't immediately perk up, she hums. "But for some reason this has you so stressed out. Why?" 

"You know about his past," he starts, and she nods. TK hadn't told his family everything, only that he'd been a little slow to realize his feelings for Carlos in the beginning, because of his breakup. His sisters had some choice words for Alex that day. "I just...how do I know I'm not risking everything by asking him?" 

She purses her lips, glancing out the floor-to-ceiling window as she collects her thoughts. "You know, you've come so far, baby. Every day I grow even more proud of you." 

Carlos stares down at their twined fingers, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He knows what she's referring to: how long he hid who he was from his family, from his friends, from the world. How hard it was on him, leaving his mom feeling like she couldn't do anything to help him. He'd been a little boy in love with the idea of love, and she always told him he'd know when it was real.

He knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that what he has with TK is real. 

"You have to trust your heart," she says, moving over to sit next to him, running her fingers through his curls. She'd done it to calm him as a baby, and it instinctually makes him feel ten pounds lighter. "That big, beautiful heart of yours. And if you think it's right, and you think you're both ready, ask him." 

She presses a kiss to the top of his head, smoothing her hand down his arm, now. He lets out a long breath, and finally smiles. 

"Thank you, mami," he whispers, closing his eyes when she kisses his forehead. 

"It's just a leap of faith, right?" She mirrors his smile, repeating what she'd always tell him when he was nervous about doing anything: trying out for the football team in high school, asking the first boy he liked out, going through with his decision to move deeper into Austin for his career. 

"A leap of faith," he confirms, surprised to find so much of the weight that had been sitting on his shoulders has fizzled away. 

"Good," she smooths his hair back once more, before leaning back in her seat. "Now, show me your ring ideas." 

* * *

He buys the ring three days later. 

The day after that, he sits down with Owen and the team. He knows he doesn't need permission, he balks at the idea of it, but they all love knowing something that TK doesn't, and so when he tells him the plan he gets absolutely dog-piled in their hugs and demands to see the ring. Owen just shakes his hand, before pulling him into a hug of his own. 

Five days after _that_ , physically unable to wait anymore, he finds himself in another golden morning like the one where he'd realized he wanted to marry TK. His boyfriend's at the sink, rinsing some grapes, and Carlos just settles in behind him. It's a common move between them, always liking the feeling of being close to one another. TK hums and turns off the water, reaching back to kiss Carlos' cheek. 

_Leap of faith,_ he thinks. _Leap of faith._

His arms still secured around TK's middle, he presses a kiss to his boyfriend's hair, before murmuring, "marry me." 

TK turns in his grasp, meeting his eyes. "What?" 

"Will you marry me?" Carlos asks, sounding more sure in himself. He digs into the pocket of his sweats and pulls out the solid, slate-grey band, and TK's mouth drops open. 

Carlos has a whole speech planned, and he starts it, telling TK how much he loves him and how he just feels _right,_ in this moment, and TK doesn't even let him get halfway through before he's kissing him. 

"Are you going to get on one knee?" TK asks, mostly into the kiss, and Carlos huffs a laugh before beginning the descent down. TK turns his back to him and Carlos furrows his brows in confusion as the other man begins digging through the junk drawer. When he turns back, though, TK drops down to the floor with him, a ring box of his own clasped between his hands. 

"Is that a yes?" Carlos asks, voice cracking. TK's eyes are shiny, too, and he manages to say _of course_ before he throws his arms around Carlos, toppling him onto his back with TK following suit. 

They're laughing so hard and kissing with every other breath, but eventually, the rings end up on both of their fingers. 

And, after Carlos gets lost in the way TK's eyes crinkle and his blinding smile and his boyfriend—fiancé—starts peppering his face with quick little kisses, he thinks, _we get this_ _forever._ Suddenly, it's like there isn't a world outside the two of them, here on their kitchen floor, lovesick and enamoured and _engaged_.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments/kudos are greatly appreciated <3


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